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To Austinites, it is no secret that many residents are busy spending their time making the city and the world a better place but now, Austin is showing the rest of the country as well. Forbes' 30 Under 30 Class of 2021, which was released this week, features six Austinites who've made an impact in their respective industries, all under 30 years old.
Of the 600 total individuals on the list, from innovators to athletes to musicians, Austin has it all—just take it from these guys.
Alex Le Roux, 28
Humbled to be included in #ForbesUnder30 class of 2021!Feeling lucky to be inspired & challenged every day. Gratefu… https://t.co/mrqDa4hKtZ— Alexander Le Roux (@Alexander Le Roux)1606886679.0
A Baylor University graduate and Austin resident, Alex Le Roux is changing the landscape of home building as we know it. Le Roux created the Vulcan, a 12-foot-tall 3D printer that can build houses entirely out of concrete in less than 24 hours for up to 30% cheaper. So far, Austin is home to 16 houses made by Le Roux's startup, Icon, which he founded alongside Evan Loomis and Jason Ballard, both over 30. Now, Icon is creating the first 3D-printed community for low income families in Mexico, has a contract to 3D-print barracks for the Department of Defense and is working with NASA to build structures on the moon.
Amobi Okugo, 29
Amobi Okugo may play defense for Austin Bold FC in his day job but aside from working on the field, he is working behind it. Born in California to Nigerian parents, Okugo has lived all over the country and now hangs his hat in Austin. Okugo founded A Frugal Athlete, a financial literacy company designed to help educate professional athletes on how to handle and maximize their profits, and runs the Ok U Go Foundation, which helps disadvantaged children discover their passions and become more active in their communities.
Conan Gray, 21
We felt like today was when we needed to relive when @ConanGray played #Heather during his Celebrity Session on… https://t.co/1rw4e1sqku— SiriusXM Hits 1 (@SiriusXM Hits 1)1605139898.0
Hailing from Georgetown, Conan Gray started making music via YouTube when he was just 12 years old. Though Gray lives in Los Angeles now, he spent his "rough" childhood moving around the U.S., eventually settling in Texas, where he became inspired to write music. Gray has been praised by music legends like Taylor Swift and Elton John for his musical prowess, named an up-and-coming artist by MTV, YouTube and Apple; and sold out tours all over the world. Gray is best known for the tracks "Maniac" and "Heather" off his first full-length album "Kid Krow," which was released this year.
Graham Gaylor, 29
Self-proclaimed wearer-of-many-hats, Graham Gaylor co-founded VRChat, a virtual world-builder turned social network for its 9 million users to congregate in, in 2015. With over 20,000 users at any given time, VRChat users have created over 25,000 worlds and numbers are growing every day. Some people even use the platform to create skit-based narrative content on YouTube and Twitch. VRChat is taking off and has raised $20 million from backers like Rothenberg Ventures, GFR Fund and more.
Renji Bijoy, 29
🎉It's such an honor and a privilege to be elected as this year's @forbes 30 Under 30! 🔥🚀 So grateful for the innova… https://t.co/SQprd6j80f— Renji Bijoy 🚀 (@Renji Bijoy 🚀)1606831633.0
Renji Bijoy, on the other hand, is providing a different use for VR. Bijoy founded Immersed, a company that partnered with Facebook to build VR office and productivity spaces with the tagline "be remote together" just in the nick of time for COVID-19. With $35 million in venture backing, the former Techstars company is bringing the office to you in a safe, yet familiar, way.
Skler Mapes, 28
Skyler Mapes' Italian husband grew up on an olive tree orchard, so when he couldn't have his Calabrian olive oil to cook with in Texas, it was a disappointment. The couple set out to rectify that issue by moving to Italy, harvest, mill, bottle, produce and export their own olive oil: EXAU olive oil. Now, you can get Italian olive oil in Austin—if you're fast enough—because there is a waitlist. EXAU's oil has been featured on the Food Network, Taste, TMZ and named one of Oprah's Favorite Things.
Austin is making a name for itself, special thanks to the movers and shakers of today.
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- Robert Smith makes deal in exchange for informing on business ... ›
- Who is Nate Paul, the real estate investor linked to abuse-of-office ... ›
- Boomtown Austin has first series of 3D-printed homes in east - austonia ›
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Austin FC couldn't find the stamina to fight off a 2-0 loss against LAFC for their inaugural match on Saturday.
The match, which saw No. 21 Austin FC go head-to-head with No. 2 LAFC in Los Angeles, was broadcast nationally on FOX and FOX Deportes.
Salute the support. 👏
It's only the beginning for @AustinFC. pic.twitter.com/TduorqYr2y
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 18, 2021
Eleven players took the stage as Austin FC players for the first time, with five starters making their MLS debut. "Ringleader" Alex Ring took the captain's armband and wore it well. The defensive midfielder could be seen leading his teammates through their first ever match, but it wasn't enough to stage an Austin takeover in LA.
In the signature style of Head Coach Josh Wolff, the team played with quickness and intensity, nearly connecting on several fast breaks. It was harder for them to stay in front, however, something that Wolff credits with quick decision making and a tough LAFC defense.
"We have a quick attacking team, but I think when you make quick attacks and it fizzles it's just about some decision making," Wolff said. "Are we in position to finish attacks? If not, can we reestablish our attack and get stuff better?"
The club was given some generous breaks from No. 2 LAFC, who had one or both of their star DPs out for the half. While forward Diego Rossi is out for the entire match due to a hamstring injury, Carlos Vela was accidentally pulled too soon on what turned out to be a miscommunication.
"He gave us the sign that he needed to come off," LAFC Head Coach Bob Bradley said on broadcast. "I can't say more than maybe it's my fault."
LA pulled some dramatics and slowly gained more possession throughout the half, but ATXFC's defense wasn't initially as shaky as it seemed in preseason. Jhohan Romana has pulled his weight in getting the ball out of goal, and a 34-year old Matt Besler held his own in center back.
As the second half commenced, however, it became clear that LAFC had the advantage over Austin's first major league team.
Goalkeeper Brad Stuver had his work cut out for him, fending off 24 shot attempts, 11 of which were on goal. He didn't have much time to prepare, either: in the first 30 seconds of play, Stuver had already made a save to keep the match 0-0.
LAFC finally connected in the 61st minute of play as Corey Baird shot one into the bottom right corner. The team capitalized off their momentum and put one past Stuver a second time, drawing roars of approval from the LAFC crowd.
While some last-minute attempts from Jon Gallagher and others were made, Austin FC didn't have the endurance to bring a tie. After seven additional minutes of stoppage time, the club lost their first match 2-0.
While the scoreboard tells one story, Wolff said that the team did well considering the skill of LAFC and the pressure of their club debut.
"We've got to be realistic," Wolff said. "This is the first time this organization has been in front of TV with an opportunity to show itself and I think there were some promising moments. And we're going to maximize those and continue to try to develop those, but there's lots to build on."
The team may have lost, but it still won the support of thousands of Verde fans, dozens of which made it to watch their team's first match. When Stuver and the team made it to bthe stadium, Los Verdes fans were already there to show support, and Stuver said his wife saw the same back in Austin.
"The moment that we pulled into the stadium, we saw Black and Verde fans cheering us on as we got to the stadium," Stuver said. "During warm up, you can just look around and see different groups sitting in different sections of the stadium and it's just truly amazing to see the support in our first game. We know that we want to give the fans everything, because this we play for the city and we play for them."